For any restaurant, including those that are independently owned and operated, providing a good customer experience is essential. Having adequate staff, creating memorable menus and offering seamless service are all important to establish return business.
Uptime in the kitchen is also a critical part of being successful. High-quality, reliable equipment is a must to avoid downtime that could affect service and generate unexpected cost for repairs.
For owners just embarking on a new independent restaurant venture; however, it may be overwhelming to decide what restaurant kitchen equipment to buy, what brand and at what price. Ovens, refrigeration and dishwashers are all obvious necessities.
But what about food prep equipment, like mixers, slicers and food processors?
These machines can be an integral part of streamlining operations, speeding up production and helping chefs and their kitchen staff create great menu items. There are mid-tier products, like the Centerline™ by Hobart offering, that are an affordable option for the independent restaurant’s budget, and they meet the needs of most kitchens with limited batch use.
Why a Commercial Mixer Is a Must-Have for Efficiency
Having a mixer in an independent restaurant kitchen brings value in many ways, namely efficiency and time savings. Compared to manually mixing ingredients, a commercial mixer can mix larger batches of ingredients faster and mix them more thoroughly. That not only frees up staff to take on other important tasks in the kitchen, but it also helps ensure the output is more consistent.
That consistency is important in creating quality menu items and for meeting customer expectations. It can also minimize instances of unusable batches that increase costs for wasted ingredients and for lost productivity for producing new batches.
For items like bread dough, a mixer can improve gluten structure more readily than manual methods. But mixers, like a Centerline HMM20 20-quart mixer, aren’t limited to just making dough. They can also be used for mixing sweet ingredients like cake batter, egg whites for meringue and cookie dough. They are also well suited for mixing savory items like mashed potatoes, meat for meatballs or sausage, and pasta dough for pairing with a homemade tomato sauce. Ultimately, mixers can be used for different ingredients and textures, allowing chefs and their staff to create different menu items.
To achieve the best output, mixers are available with a variety of agitators that are designed for specific purposes. For example, beaters can be used for various batters and for pie dough, while bread or pasta would require a dough hook. Whips are well suited for light, airy ingredients like whip cream or frosting.
Some commercial mixers, like the Centerline HMM20, have programmable features that recall the time of mixing, so it’s simple to repeat batches of ingredients. This is helpful for kitchen staff who may not be as familiar with using a mixer.
How Commercial Slicers Boost Productivity and Control Costs
Independent restaurants can set themselves apart from the competition in many ways, particularly with a creative, delicious menu. Slicers are a piece of food prep equipment that can help achieve that goal. Like mixers, a slicer improves efficiency and productivity in the kitchen compared to manual cutting of meats and cheeses, which is labor intensive and keeps staff from other important tasks.
Slicers also provide uniform slices and can be adjusted for the desired thickness of product. This helps with portion control and inventory management. Consistent output means that staff are plating up the right amount of meat or cheese for every artisanal sandwich that leaves the kitchen. It also helps chefs manage inventory and costs since they know exactly how many chubs of meat or cheese to order from their purveyors. Also, because manual cutting is typically inconsistent, it can lead to costly wasted product compared to the precise cuts a slicer provides.
And while there is an upfront cost associated with purchasing a slicer, such as a Centerline EDGE Series machine, independent restaurants can gain savings by buying whole cuts of meats and cheeses. These typically cost less than their prepackaged counterparts and last longer, since staff will only be slicing what is needed and the labor for the process is lower than manual cutting.
In addition to slicing meat and cheeses for sandwiches, Hobart slicers are an excellent solution to providing customers with delicious charcuterie boards, featuring salami, chorizo, ham and more. Plus, slicers are ideal for slicing firmer cheeses like gouda, gruyere and Manchego.
If chefs and their staff have concerns about operating a slicer, they can look for designs that provide operator assurance. For example, the EDGE slicers have an integrated thumb guard protection and Gauge Plate Interlock. This interlock prevents operators from removing the gauge plate until it is fully closed and they have put the product tray in home position. In the event of a power outage, the No Volt Release keeps the slicer from turning on when power has been restored.
The Benefits of a Combination Food Processor
Food processors can further contribute to efficiency in an independent restaurant kitchen, along with providing labor and cost savings. Combination food processors, in particular, are beneficial since they combine bowl-style and continuous-feed food processing into one unit. That saves on budget for purchasing two separate machines and saves on countertop space, which is often limited in kitchens.
As with mixers and slicers, combination food processors like the Centerline by Hobart CCH32 and CCH34, are faster than manually mixing or cutting ingredients. They provide chefs and their staff with the flexibility to move between batch and continuous feed processing to streamline food preparation. For the Centerline combination food processors, a SureSense™ speed control identifies which processor head has been installed and adjusts the speed of processing for the best results.
When fitted with the bowl, combination processors can chop and mince, making them good for processing vegetables and herbs. They can also mix and emulsify for making sauces, salad dressings, pesto, salsa, hummus and more.
When a combination food processor is fitted with a continuous-feed chute, the machine can slice vegetables, including peppers, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes and more. When fitted with the appropriate blade, they can also slice fruits; julienne potatoes for French fries; grate carrots, nuts and hard cheeses; and shred lettuce and cabbage. Because of the consistency of the cuts provided during continuous-feed processing, chefs and their staff can control portions and be certain of the quality and visual appeal of the ingredients.
Buying whole fruits and vegetables and processing them with the continuous-feed chute also provides cost savings in a couple of ways. First, whole products typically cost less than pre-packaged and cut produce, and they last longer, so there is less food waste. The consistency of the cuts also reduces waste, since uneven slices of a tomato manually sliced, for example, may need to be discarded.
Food Prep Equipment Streamlines Operations and Saves Money
As owners and operators of independent restaurants look to start their enterprise, food prep equipment offers a reliable solution. Mixers, slicers and food processors all improve production and quality over manual operations, helping to save on cost for labor and ingredients. This equipment also frees up chefs and kitchen staff to focus on what they do best: creating menu items that customers will love and ensuring that their dining experience is enjoyable.
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